[dayglored]

> That, my friend, is a Libertarian.

No, "that" (I presume you mean GPM's/Jefferson's definition of a "classical liberal"), is a small-l libertarian, not a BIG-L Libertarian.

A small-l libertarian is very much like a conservative, but without the social-conservative (statist, big-government) desire to have their personal morality written into the Constitution.

A BIG-L Libertarian is a member of a political party with only tenuous connection to Jefferson's classical liberal libertarian. For the most part, BIG-L Libertarians are what give us small-l libertarians heartburn and a bad name.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Exactly. The difference between Libertarians and conservatives is the degree to which the individual is willing to sacrifice personal liberty and to have that sacrifice codified for the better good of the greatest number. Libertarians stand on the side of what Bork referred to in “Slouching Towards Gomorrah” as ‘radical individualism.’ This is why Libertarians so often find themselves in agreement with Leftist Dems on socials issues and opposed to conservatives, but in agreement with conservatives on fiscal issues and opposed to Leftist Dems.

It irks me that the left has stolen the term ‘liberal’ and changed its meaning to the opposite of the way our Founding Fathers used the term. I prefer to refer to contemporary ‘liberals’ as Leftists to more accurately define who they are and what they represent in the contemporary world.